Greetings! Last month, I made a “Night Ride” playlist on Spotify, for listening to on my bike after dark. On a brisk Saturday evening, I put it to use after hanging out at Kelly’s house (photos on IG) to record this episode. I almost skipped listening to it because I was still so elated about how our conversation went. It started off good, with some family history, his cannabis history, and a few snippets of east coast cannabis culture. But I had a burning question about the title of this podcast, and what it means for a heterosexual (like me) to use the phrase ‘coming out of the closet.’ I didn’t know whether to ask for queer permission, or atone to a gay person (like Kelly) in person, or what. So when Kelly told me he was open to discussing my title, I was overjoyed. And oh boy, what a turn our conversation took! Hear my mind get blown by the transformation of my gratitude practice! I’ve never been so excited to get a conversation out to you all. It was so heavy for me, that I put it at the beginning of this episode, right after my introduction.
In between Kelly’s two coming-out stories – from 1990 (as gay, at 9:00) and 2018 (as a cannabis consumer, at 13:16) – I share a quick parenting event I had when my son realized his best friend’s two moms were … y’know … a couple … in love with one another (11:17).
Kelly espouses some of the lessons learned and benefits of coming out (19:10), like being a resource for others (30:42). It became quite moving when Kelly began talking about the reason I came into his life at 20:53.
We talk about how the two of us met at 34:09. While telling me about where he came from (Maryland > New York > Massachussets) he gives accounts, at 44:00, of being in Massachussetts for both medical cannabis implementation and adult-use legalization.
At 51:41, we begin Kelly’s personal cannabis [hi]story, including some harrowing circumstances (59:30) he had to endure in the underground market before regulation, which leads to a quick talk about the racial dimensions of cannabis legalization (1:03:00) and what we can all, easily, do to help establish equitable opportunity for marginalized communities.
Also, a quick shout-out to qwoc-owned Oso Verde farms, and Nat’l Expungment Week, carrying though the social justice promise of cannabis legalization.
In a candid moment (1:11:09), Kelly shares a fear he’s had of growing old and not being able to access cannabis.
Interview date – Saturday night, November 17, 2018
Recorded on – Tascam DR-05 [handheld] digital recorder
Edited with – Audacity software
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